The Essence of His Soul
By Mya Kay
Publication date: March 20th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
When Essence Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Music Group, steps into Mocha Tea & Trends—a new upscale coffee shop in Old City Philadelphia—she’s focused on business, not romance. But when she overhears the manager scrambling after an artist cancels last minute, Essence seizes the opportunity to showcase her newly signed songstress.
That’s when she meets Shane Bishop.
Philadelphia’s basketball sensation and the shop’s owner, Shane is instantly drawn to Essence. Their eyes meet, sparks fly—and Essence immediately shuts it down. A ball player is the last thing she needs distracting her from her purpose. But Shane can’t ignore the connection he feels as he watches her confidently seal the deal for her artist.
Later, one bold DM changes everything.
What begins as a cautious friendship between two preacher’s kids slowly unfolds into a God-ordained romance neither of them expected. But just as their bond deepens, their lives are shaken by family secrets, resurfacing past relationships, and a devastating incident that threatens to destroy both of their careers.
As rumors swirl and pressure mounts within the entertainment and sports industries, Essence and Shane must decide if their love is strong enough to withstand the weight of old wounds, public scrutiny, and painful truths.
Will they be able to hold on to what God brought together—or will the cost be too great?
Goodreads / Amazon / Girls Anthem
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Enjoy this peek inside:
I looked at his face, then slowly walked over to him.
“Clayton wants to know when you guys can do dinner.”
My heart dropped in my stomach. I had been ignoring Clayton, literally not responding to any of his messages, but I also hadn’t blocked him.
“Babe, it’s not like that.”
He placed my phone down. “What is it like, Essence?”
I raised an eyebrow. Since we’d been dating, he barely called me by my first name.
I walked over to him, grabbing his hands. He let me. “My father thinks Clayton is the guy I should be dating. I told him I was dating but haven’t told him who, but my mother knows. Clayton and I went on a date four years ago and I haven’t talked to him since. My father thought giving him my number when he ran into him was a good idea.”
He stared at me intently. This was the first time he was looking at me, and I didn’t feel the warmth I usually felt. “Baby, I promise, you have nothing to worry about.”
“You know Rayna DM’d me about a week after we started dating. I blocked her because, even though we weren’t that deep yet, I knew we were on to something.”
I swallowed. I knew he was all in when we were on our third date. Shane was a one-woman type of man. I picked up my phone and blocked Clayton in front of him. Then I showed him the text thread.
“You can see I never even responded.”
“Then why not block him sooner?” he said, scrolling through the texts.
I started chewing on my bottom lip. I brushed my hair behind my ears, trying not to speak too soon.
“If I’m honest, this is scary for me. I’m afraid that this thing with you and I won’t work out. That’s not to say Clayton was a backup, because he knows that even if he was the last man standing, there would never be an us. Trust me.”
He smirked, placing the phone back on the counter. “He’s that bad?”
“Horrible.”
I laughed. He was still staring at me, but his smile faded.
“I don’t always feel safe,” I continued, hoping the rest of this would come out making sense, “and some of it has to do with what happened when I was younger. I also feel like my father’s controlling ways plays into how unsafe I feel. It’s like he would never let anyone else hurt me, yet he does it all the time; and then, there’s what my ex did.”
His face scrunched up. “Dixon?”
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About Author Mya K. Douglas
Mya K. Douglas (Mya Kay) is an Amazon bestselling author, dynamic speaker, magazine publisher, and literary leader born and raised in North Philadelphia. Since 2012, she has authored and published fifteen books spanning genres from Christian romance to memoir.
In 2017, she co-authored Before Empire with Andria Mayberry, mother of Empire actor Bryshere “Yazz The Greatest,” featured on The Real. In 2022, she was selected as a semi-finalist for America’s Next Great Author, standing out as one of only 100 from over 800 applicants to pitch to judges including Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Victoria Christopher Murray.
That same year, Mya made history as the first Christian romance author signed to B. Love Publications. Her work includes The Storms of Love series, Fumbled Your Heart, and The Essence of His Soul. She has earned nominations including Christian Fiction Author of the Year by AAMBC (2023) and Best Christian Book for The Essence of His Soul at the 2024 Literary Gem Awards. She is currently signed to Black Legacy Publishing under B. Love Publications.
Beyond writing, Mya is the founder of Girls Anthem Magazine, a faith-forward media company inspiring girls and women to pursue purpose without compromising their values.
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